Rumor has PSP Go relaunch

Sony may be close to holding a 'second launch' for the PSP Go to shore up its sales, a claimed leak indicates today. The gaming giant is supposedly unhappy with the slump in performance of the redesigned console and is gearing up for a second marketing campaign. Other steps are said on the table and are speculated by Gamervision to include a price cut from the current $250 price tag.

The handheld encountered a brief spurt of sales when it launched in the fall but has had little success in replacing the earlier model or fighting off competition from other devices. Sony originally tried to justify the PSP Go's price as reflecting a "premium" status but is now $80 more than Nintendo's most expensive model.

It has also faced an ongoing threat from the iPod touch, whose reliance on download-only games is believed to be a primary reason behind the PSP Go's existence. Apple's device not only costs less at $199 but has hurt the PSP as a whole by encouraging games that often cost a fraction of the $30, $40 or more necessary even for download versions on Sony's platform. Games to this day make up the single bestselling category at the App Store and prompted Sony's creation of "PSP Minis," or simple but cheap games that compete with iPhone and iPod apps on price.

by MacNN Staff